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Ronstadt gets answer to 'When Will I Be Loved?'

Nedra Pickler Associated Press

Updated:
07/29/2014 07:03:24 AM EDT

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President Obama shakes hands with musician Linda Ronstadt in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 28, 2014, where he presented her with a 2013 National Medal of Arts. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Singer Linda Ronstadt got the answer to that question she's been asking for decades: "When Will I Be Loved?"

The answer was Monday at the White House, by President Barack Obama, who hung a National Medal of Arts around her neck and revealed, "I had a little crush on her back in the day."

The honor was a particularly special moment for Ronstadt, who didn't make it to her induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April since Parkinson's disease limits her ability to travel. A military aide brought her into the East Room by wheelchair, but she walked to the stage to receive her award as a citation was read honoring her "one-of-a-kind voice" that paved the way for generations of women artists.

Eleven other recipients were awarded the 2013 National Medal of Arts, as the nation's highest award given to artists and their patrons, including DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg and Dominican-American writer Julia Alvarez, author of "In the Time of the Butterflies."

Ten were awarded the National Humanities Medal, which honors those in fields including history, literature, languages and philosophy.